ICSA president Gabriel Gilmartin has called for the reduction in the price of branded human health medicines to be extended to animal health products.

However, a spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture insisted that they had no role in setting the price of medicines.

"If the price of medicines for patients can be reduced by 40pc, the same reduction should also apply to animal products," Mr Gilmartin said.

"Each of the major pharmaceutical companies has an animal health division and a very lucrative market in Ireland. If this reduction can apply to medicines for people, there is no reason why it can't be the same for veterinary medicines," he added.

Mr Gilmartin called on Agriculture Minister Brendan Smith to raise this issue with the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA), the representative body for the major pharmaceutical companies in Ireland.